NOTICE TO PET OWNERS
NOTICE TO PET OWNERS: The doctors and staff at California Veterinary Specialists are knowledgeable, caring, and professional. Dr. Ogilvie is no exception. His knowledge of oncologic disorders and ability to relate it to his patients are outstanding; he is kind and caring.
HOWEVER, if your dog has developed swollen lymph nodes and is believed to have lymphoma/leukemia, take particular care with your approach to treatment. If your dog requires a biopsy, specifically ask Dr. Ogilvie to apply his great knowledge of the anatomy and select the safest node to biopsy. Ask him to take particular care to make sure the biopsy needle remains within the mass of the node so as not to inadvertently pass through and injury an artery.
If this happens, your dog, especially if small, may lose massive amounts of blood quickly and go into shock. This may not be readily apparent since the blood loss will be internal. Naturally, you and the staff will want to attempt resuscitation in the ICU, but this will not be successful. It is especially difficult to resuscitate most animals once they are in extremis. The bill will be large (many thousands of dollars) and you will desperately leave without your pet.
NOTE: this sort of thing can happen in ANY veterinary office and with any procedure. As a neurosurgeon, I am sadly familiar with the pain and reality of both avoidable and unavoidable complications of operations and procedures. All doctors experience complications in their careers. Some are avoidable. Surgeons that perform many operations often repeatedly perform the same relatively simple procedures. It is human nature for these to become rote. This diminishes focus and can result in a devastating avoidable complication.
One last thing: if your dog has developed enlarged lymph nodes and does not rapidly deteriorate and pass on within a few weeks, you may wish to avoid treatment entirely (you can discuss this with Dr. Ogilvie or similar experts; veterinary oncologists). Many cases of lymphoma are indolent; on rare occasions there can even be spontaneous remission. There are many less conventional treatment options, like high-dose vitamin C and ozone therapy that, while not proven effective, may be just as effective as and much less risky than conventional chemotherapeutic regimens. This approach obviates the need for a risky biopsy procedure altogether and may prolong your time with your pet.
Best wishes!
E. Thomas Chappell, MD (Neurosurgery)
Elvia Orrillo Blas, MD (Emergency Medicine)
Contact Info:
Tom Chappell-714-329-3361